Garment-press.



No. 686,70l. Patented Nov. l9, l90l.

' J. T. BEALL.

GARMENT PRESS.

(Application filed Dec. 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Ina/anion liruTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TIPPING BEALL, OF OAPON BRIDGE, \VES'I VIRGINIA.

GARMENT-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 686,701, dated November 19, 1901.

Application filed December 5, 1900. Serial No. 38,779. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES TIPPING BEALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oapon Bridge, in the county of Hampshire and State of \Vest'Virginiahave invented new and useful Improvements in Garment-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in garment presses, and is particularly adapted for stretching, pressing, and creasing trousers and to enable persons wholly without the tailors skill to secure like results easily and with certainty.

The invention aims to provide a device of this character so constructed that any distortion of the trousers, bagginess at the knees, creasing, &c., caused by wear or otherwise may be corrected and the trousers adjusted and pressed to their proper shape, the device possessing the further advantages of compactness, durability,and capability of holding several pairs of trousers at the same time, while there is an entire absence of small loose parts liable to be mislaid. Furthermore, the invention aims to construct a device of this character which shall be extremely simple in its construction, strong, durable, and efficient in its use, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

The invention finally consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended, and in describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved trousers-stretcher. Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing the same in an open position. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View thereof broken away at one end. Fig. 4 is a like view with the opposite end broken away. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the adjustable spring-hinges. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the manner of attaching one of the clamping-bars to the lower pressing-board. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the adjustable spring and its connections for the clamping-bars.

Referring to the drawings by reference-numerals, 1 indicates the upper and 2 the lower pressing-board of my improved device and are constructed of any desirable shape and material, the former provided with a series of transversely-extending strengthening braces or strips 3, of suitable material, preferably metal, and the latter with a like series of braces or strips 4. The inner face of each of the pressing-boards l and 2 at its lower end is hollowed out, as at 5, to allow for the thickened bottom of the trousers, owing to the usual turn-up. Secured to the inner face of each of the boards 1 and 2 is a lining of suitable fabric 6-such as denim, canvas, or like materialtightly stretched. When the stretcher is in use, the lining is dampened, thus bringing a certain amount of moisture next to the trousers without actually wetting the same, thus obtaining a more rapid and permanent result than if the stretcher was employed without dampening the linings 6.

The upper braces or strips 3 are secured to the board 2 by means of the screws or other fastening means 7 and are pivotally connected at their rear end to the bifurcated upper end 8 of the hinge 9, which has its lower end 10 extended at an angle and normally resting upon the projecting rear end 11 of the lower braces or strips 4.

The reference-numerallZ denotes an elliptical-shaped spring connected at its bottom to the end 10 of the hinge and at its top to the nut 13. Operating through the projecting end 11 of the braces or strips 4, the lower end 10 of the hinge, and the nut 13 is the adjusting-screw 14, provided on its lower end with a head or disk 15 to permit of readily operating the same, and by the foregoing construction it will be evident that not only are the sections hinged together, but are adjustable to allow for the pressing of more than one pair of trousers or for trousers of varying thickness.

Pivotally connected, as at 16, to the projecting forward end of each of the braces or strips 3 is a clamping-lever 17, provided with a notch 18, which is engaged by a fastening-stirrup 19, adjustably mounted upon the link 20, pivotally connected to the projecting forward end of each of the braces or strips 4. The

clamping-levers 17 are normally in a hori-' zontalposition when clamping the boards 1 and 2 together. The operation of the levers 17 is as follows: Assuming that the same is in a horizontal position, by bringing it to a vertical position the stirrup can be removed and the boards separated, or if the boards are separated the stirrup is placed upon the offset or notch, while the lever is in a vertical position. The lever is then lowered to a hori zontal position. The boards are securely clamped together, the action of the lever causing the boards to exert a heavy pressure upon the garments.

At the upper end of the boards 1 and 2 are arranged the auxiliary clamping-bars 21 and 22, the latter being detachably secured to the board 2 by means of the plates 28, provided with an opening, and the thumb-screws 29, operating through the opening in the plates, and the former provided at its front end with an adjustable spring fastening-catch 23, adjustable in any well-known manner. It is thought it is not necessary to show a means for adjusting the catch, as any preferred form of adjustable catch may be employed. The catch 23 is adapted to engage and secure thereto the bar 22. The bar 21 at its rear is connected to the bar 22 by means of the hinge 24, adjustable by means of a spiral spring 25, arranged upon a pin 25*, provided with an adjusting-nut 25 The board 1 is provided with the hinge 25, the lower portion of which rests upon the board 2 and through which extends the pin 25. The portion of the plate resting upon the board 2 is engaged by the spring 25. The tension of the spring 25 is regulated by the nut 25. By the foregoing connection the bar 21 is permitted to be adjusted vertically when desired.

27 denotes a suitable handle or grip secured to the board 2.

The device is employed for stretching, creasing, and pressing trousers in the following manner: The board 1 is elevated, as well as the clamping -bar 2].. The trousers are then placed upon the board 2, and then fasten together the clamping-bars which engage the top of the trousers. The latter are then straightened and smoothed out toward their bottom and held in position by one hand while closing down the board 1 with the other. The clamping lever at the extreme left is then closed, after which the trousers are stretched at their upper right-hand end to insure their being entirely straight, and the remaining clamping-levers are then closed. The principle involved by the adaptation of the device hereinbefore described when employed for stretching, pressing, and creasing garments is that of a moderate degree of lengthwise stretching combined with a sidewise pressure. Thus the result obtained is that the garment is stretched to the proper shape and then that shape pressed into the same. Therefore a badly-bagged pair of trousers can be straightened and the restored shape permanently retained by the use of the device without making the trousers too long for the wearer. Although the device, as shown, is made the length of the trousers-leg, yet the whole garment can be pressed in the following manner: Adjust the board 1 to accommodate the increased thickness of the upper part of the garment, slide the garment through as far as desired, and then clamp the two boards together. Thus by two operations the entire garment may be pressed, stretched, and creased. Instead of entirely pressing the garment by two operations the device may be of such length that the entire garment may be placed therein to be pressed, creased, and stretched.

It is thought the many advantages of my improved construction can be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and it will be noted that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards having a lining of a suitable fabric, a series of adjustable springhinges connected to one side thereof, a series of adjustable clamping devices connected to the opposite side thereof, and a pair of clamping-bars secured to the top of said boards and yieldingly connected together.

2. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards, a lining ofdenim for each of said boards, a series of braces secured to each of said boards, adjustable springhinges connected to one end of said braces, and a series of adjustable clamping devices connected to the opposite end of said braces.

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards, a series of braces secured to each of said boards, adjustable springs connected to one end of said braces, a series of clamping devices connected to the opposite end of said braces, and a pair of clamping-bars attached to the upper portion of one of said boards.

4. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards each having their inner face at the lower end hollowed out, a lining of a suitable fabric secured to the inner face of each of said boards, a series of adjustable spring-hinges connected to one side of said boards, a series of clamping devices connected to, the opposite side of said boards, and a pair of adjustable clamping-bars attached to the top of saidboards.

5. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards provided with a lining of suitable fabric, a series of braces secured to one of said boards,adj ustable spring-hinges connected to said braces, a series of braces secured to the other of said boards, means carried thereby for adjustably connecting the spring-hinges thereto, and a series of clamping devices suitably connected to both series of braces.

6. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards, a series of braces secured to one, of said boards, spring-hinges connected to said braces, a series of braces secured to the other of said boards, means carried thereby for adjustably connecting the spring -hin'ges thereto, a series of clamping devices suitably connected to both series of braces, and a pair of adjustable clampingbars attached to said boards.

7 In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards having a lining of a suitable fabric, a series of adjustable springhinges connected to one side thereof, a series of clamping devices connected to the opposite side thereof, a pair of adjustable clamping-bars attached to the said boards, and means for connecting said bars together.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards having a suitable portion of their inner face hollowed out, a lining of denim for the said boards, spring-hinges connected to one side of said boards, a series of clamping devices connected to the opposite side of said boards, a pair of clampingbars detachably secured to the said boards, and means for yieldingly connecting the said clamping-bars together.

9. In a device of the character described, a pair of pressing-boards having a suitable portion of their inner face hollowed out, a lining of suitable, material secured to the inner face of each of said boards, adjustable springhinges connected to one side of said boards, adjustable clamping devices connected to the opposite side of said boards, a pair of clamping-bars suitably secured to said boards, and means for yieldingly connecting the said clamping-bars together.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in.presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES TIPPING BEALL. /Vitnesses:

D. W. OGLESBEE, D. B. HAINES. 

